Wanted to ask for some information on what to bring back to Darke that was neutered or cut way back.(same thing)

Party exp and having players help younger players.

right now most things are very lonely. a player doesn't have to interact with another player much. would like to have options for npc based but players would be the best choice. make this place a bit more of a challenge.

can't be nice in the real world so why be nice here.

what are your thoughts.

wonder how many people come to this board besides bots that try to post junk messages or spiders.

You know MacT, it's hard to say what would be good to come back. But, you know, this game has evolved over time and over many admin to become what it is now. I personally feel it's kind of broken now, with players reaching level 100 and all... But, as it is, because there's such a small player base, it's hard for new people or old players to start up again. I think NPCs offering mediocre equipment would be nice in relation to the iron they have now. If people could buy low end chants, and equipment made of different metals from NPCs, but at a lower cost and lower % skill, then there will still be demand for the players who have the skills necessary to create top end gear. What this will do though, is give new players or returning players the ability to compete and acquire the resources necessary to obtain the equipment they need to be competitive.

That having been said, if there truly are active admin now, which I believe might very well be the case, then it would be nice if there could be a list of some sort outlining what the plan is to integrate new material into the MUD. Players like to feel abreast of what's going on, and they like to feel like they're part of the decisions that are being taken. Especially since without them, there would be no need to code the stuff in the first place.

Essentially, what's the most important thing that needs to change to make the MUD a better place? That's what should be worked on first. Obviously, identifying that issue isn't easy. I also haven't played regularly in quite some time because for some reason my character's password keeps getting reset without me knowing why, so I couldn't very well give an educated opinion on what needs to change. One thing I will say though, combat is really broken, and EXP acquisition is broken too. For a MUD that is more or less based on a player's level determining his strength, it seems to me that levelling is too broken for it to be considered as something relevant in PVP or even PVE. Simply put, I think at this point, if there aren't any changes planned for the XP rate players have, then skills and stats should determine resistance over level. I realize they're considered, but a player's level needs to be MUCH less important. I also realize there is always an element of strategy in this game. I can just imagine Kim coming on and saying that level isn't the most important factor, but that was back when players weren't lvl 100 fighters and level 70-80 NBs.

A lot of people also seem to think that more areas are needed, but I don't really think that's the case. Areas aren't really particularly important, because it was never areas that drew people to the game. What drew people to the game 5-7 years ago were the interactions people had between players, whether friend or foe. As it is now, it's not going to be easy to recreate that without people playing the game :P

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Hope some of this was helpful to you. I've been playing a long time and I still feel that this game has potential, but it's just not fun to play it anymore when I have nobody to play with or interact with. Even when I was playing, people didn't seem to like interacting, fighting, PKing. It was kind of stale.